part ten- spirit extraction

By ‘seeing’ into the invisible threads that make up our reality, shamans have been able to understand that on a fundamental level we are made up of moving energy, or spirit. Through the process of living our ‘energy bodies’ or spirits can become loading up with ‘spiritual intrusions’- energy that is having a damaging effect on our well-being. It is the shaman’s responsibility to ‘see’ then treat these spiritual intrusions by extracting them, enabling the person to return to their natural state of soul health.

In this part of the training, participants will learn the entire process of spirit extraction, from how intrusions occur to the effective treatment of them. You will learn about power loss and power retrieval- whereby the shaman protects their client from future intrusions occurring. You will learn how to peel back the layers of energy and spirit to see deep into a person’s soul, perceiving identifying and removing blockages. You will learn procedures of identifying a person’s personal energy with that of ancestral inheritance or interference from others and to become power- full, thus protected when undertaking this work. 

We will also explore deeply the nature and 'spirit' of illness. How it can come into a persons life and what keeps it in their life. How the shaman must meet and understand the energy of sickness and disease before they are able to treat it. In order to be able to remove poison, you must know what makes up the poison and how it infects a person on a soul level. This is much more than simply learning the techniques of healing, it is about truly mastering and experiencing the nature of what causes sickness and what creates health.

And, most importantly you will learn to listen and yield, to become the ‘hollow bone’ for spirit to work through you- allowing the magical process of healing to occur. Without learning effectively the art of allowing yourself to be embodied and led by spirit, there is no healing. There will also be opportunity to identify and release your own intrusions within a powerful, cleansing ceremony.

part eleven - ancestral healing & psychopomp

To become a Psychopomp is the ancient art of 'moving on' trapped spirits of the dead; those that cling out of shock, fear, confusion, or simply being unable to let go through emotional attachment, to the middle world (earth plane). This causes problems not only for trapped souls but also for those that were close to them, and the general spiritual health of our communities.

The shaman has to learn about and experience the terriotory and landscape beyond death- this is their hunting ground and what many of the initations and much of the training is about. In doing so shaman are then able to assist others when they need it the most, when they have left their body and need guidance on the next stage of their journey.

Another, sometime under looked element of psychopomp work is the healing and releasing of ancestral ghosts. These ghosts, sometimes stretching generations back, can often be ‘alive’ in a person’s energy body. This causes the repeating of ancestral patterns and re-living of ancestral traumas that then create crisis and trauma in a persons life, preventing them from truly experincing and fufilling the beauty of their own soul. This powerful healing technique can heal many generations of ancestors in one go and literally change the life of the person who has been carrying these ghosts.

This isn’t glamorous work, but it’s immensely important at this time. Having lost understanding of the art of dying and the many rituals and ceremonies that used to surround this, ultimate of initiations, there is a greater need than ever for the clearing and releasing of trapped souls; to restore harmony and balance to the spirit world and our own physical world that it feeds.

In this second shamanic healing part of the course we will explore these techniques in a practical, experiential way, learning to be of assistance and to heal to both the dead and the living, whilst also gaining greater understanding of our own relationship with death and the ancestral ghosts that we may be carrying.

part twelve- soul retrieval

When we suffer trauma- parts of our soul can leap out of our bodies. It is a self-preservation mechanism, similar to the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism wired into us, but on a soul level. When the fleeing soul part fails to return safely and gets trapped in the invisible world, this can leave huge holes in our essential being- paving the way for distraction, disturbance, ill health and the repeated re-experiencing of trauma. 

In the modern world, with its near everyday occurrences of soul trauma, soul loss has become something of an epidemic. 

In this training all facets of soul loss- how and why it could occur, from the dramatic to the subtle, its symptoms- chronic and acute, will be taught. We will explore the wider implications that soul loss has on our communities and environment and the survival and well being of our species. This will also involve study of the nature of our souls and the the 'three souls' that make up our principal being. 

Participants will learn all aspects of soul retrieval, this magical, delicate art that will change the course of people’s lives. You will learn of the landscape where soul parts might flee to and the art of tracking in the invisible world of spirit. You will learn about soul theft and the unravelling of its associated problems. Mask work will also be undertaken in ceremony in order to track participants owns potential for soul loss through limiting behavioural patterns and how this can be altered and healed.

Through this whole process there will be a deepening of your relationship with your spiritual mentors, embracing the trust needed to undertake this sacred healing work. We will then explore the nature of shamanic healing as that of ceremony, alongside any techniques that can be learnt.

part thirteen- integration

One of the most important and often overlooked aspect of any healing is that of integration. This is the hard part, when all the magical, soul work has been carried out and then must be integrated into a persons life. Until this happens the healing can remain ineffective or be rejected and is often the reason why spiritual healing can fail. This is also true of the shaman. In some ways it is easy to open up the doors to the spirit world. What takes a lot of hard work is keeping those doors open. 

We will have our final meeting where we will focus on integration of everything that has been learnt in this long journey together. And more importantly there will be space to explore ways that you can transfer what you have learnt to be of use to the spirits in your communities. So that the experience and training will have a practical application in the world- if that what spirit is calling you to do.

We will end, again with a big initiatory ceremony with the plants spirits of this land to send you out equipped with the necessary tools to continue your learning on this path.